The beginners guide to mobile technical specifications

What you need to know: Most operating systems offer similar functions and features — e-mail, social network connectivity and support for basic functions like calls and texting. Operating systems like iOS, Windows Phone and Android come with tile or icon-driven interfaces that minimise the use of menus. Symbian and BlackBerry still use menu-based systems. Whatever be the option, try to opt for a platform which is regularly updated, adds new features, is easy to use, and of course offers access to the apps you need.

Apps

Apps, or applications are bits of software that let you do a host of tasks, from browsing the Web to playing games to tweaking images.

What you need to know: If you like to download lots of apps on your phone, pay a visit to the app store of the device you are interested in and check if it has the kind of apps you are looking for. Most app stores feature regularly updated lists of the most popular, top rated and new apps — these lists can give you a better idea of the kind of apps being released for a device.